The Guitar Magazine – September 2019

completely if you use a Brasso pad and
I tend to follow up by dipping the parts
in PCB etchant before rinsing in water.
The jack socket, switch nut and knob
pointers are all aged this way.

PICKING THE ’GUARD
The Epiphone ‘Amos’ Flying V was a
limited-edition reissue in the spirit of Joe
Bonamassa’s famous original. As such, it
arrived with a repro customised metal
truss-rod cover and a black plastic
pickguard. The intention here is to go
for a more generic look and we decide
to replace the truss-rod cover with the
regular 1950s type.
To do so, I glued a rectangle of maple
veneer under the headstock veneer, before
I fitted it, to bring the thickness up to
2mm in the truss-rod slot adjacent to the
nut. This is needed to provide something
substantial enough for the cover fixing
screw to bite into. In the process, I also
lengthen the slot so I can introduce the
longer end of the Allen wrench when
adjusting the truss rod.
A white pickguard is on order from
CreamTone (creamtone.com), which makes
one specifically for the Epiphone ‘Amos’
Vs. This is important because the 50s-spec
Gibson ’guards don’t fit. At the time of
writing, the pickguard is halfway across the
Atlantic, so rather than wait, I decide to
relic the black one instead.
I use 3200 and 6000 grit Micro-Mesh
to knock back the shiny plastic surface
without dulling it too much. Micro-Mesh
produces far more convincing results than
fine sandpaper, Scotch pads or wire wool.
Next, I screw the pickguard onto a
backing board with matchsticks strategically
placed between the screw holes. The screws
are tightened to touch the surface, then
I carefully heat the plastic using a paint-
stripper gun.
Care is needed at this point, because I
don’t want to melt the plastic, but instead
merely soften it. I keep the gun moving
continuously and after a short while, the
plastic rapidly transitions from solid to
pliable. At that point, I tighten the screws
and the plastic bends over the matchsticks
to simulate warping.
I allow the pickguard to cool before
removing the screws and then wipe the
white bevelled edges with brown and
amber stain dissolved in a 50/50 water and
acetone solution. This mellows the bevelled

OPPOSITE TOP The plastic-

and gold-plated parts are

Epiphone items, but the

V-plate is custom-made

from solid brass

OPPOSITE BOTTOM After a

rubdown with a Brasso pad,

a dip in PCB etchant and

rinsing in water, the metal

parts are set aside to dry

ABOVE TOP Matches are

placed between the screws,

a paint-stripper gun softens

the plastic and the screws

are torqued down to simulate

pickguard warping

LEFT TOP This guitar is

being fitted with three 500K

pots from 1964 and an old

Bumblebee tone capacitor

and here, we’re about

halfway through the job

LEFT MIDDLE The headstock

gets a repro truss-rod cover

and some relic’ing in the

shape of checking lines and

edge chips

LEFT BOTTOM

The checking lines are less

apparent on the rear of the

headstock, but the vintage

Klusons work smoothly and

really look the part

DO IT YOURSELF

GUITAR MAGAZINE 133